A blogger had also shared pictures to claim that some iPhone 12 display units in China had their paint peeled off.
Apple support page says that the potential issue is only with leather cases
Apple's MagSafe wireless charging feature launched along with iPhone 12 series earlier this month is expected to have far-reaching benefits that the likes of Moto Mods could not deliver. MagSafe is touted to be a game-changer for accessory makers, and a colourful array of magnetic cases, wallets, and chargers are already in the market. Apple has naturally created a new support page to inform users about how to best use their new gadgets and its cool magnetic charger. And among its few caveats is that the charger can leave a circular impression on some iPhone 12 cases and accessories.
The fact that the charger can leave its impression on iPhone 12 accessories gets a fine print mention on the Apple support page. It is especially irksome because Apple had glorified MagSafe's capability of charging the phones with their covers on. And although the support page says that the potential issue is only with leather cases, a user had also shared a picture on MacRumors claiming that the MagSafe charger had left its circular impressions on a silicon case in just one day of use. It's just been three days since the iPhone 12 was made available.
Apple has also warned users against placing things such as credit cards, security badges, passport, etc., between their phones and the MagSafe charger. It says this could damage the magnetic strips and RFID chips on the cards. The page also says that the new snap-on chargers might get warm and that the software might limit charging to 80 percent in case of overheating.
In another particularly damaging news for the iPhone 12 series launched on October 14, a report published by TechSina cites a blogger to claim that some iPhone 12 units on display at a store in China had their paints peeled off. The report featured pictures by the blogger to support the claim. Although, the launch of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro had a rush of people at stores in China on Friday, October 23, and the report speculated frequent touches to be the reason for the phone's terrible condition.
Separately, tipster Max Weinbach said his new iPhone 12 Pro's glass back had cracked for no apparent reason, though he received a replacement from Apple. In a more recent tweet, he noted scratches seen on demo units at a T-Mobile store.
Are iPhone 12 mini, HomePod mini the Perfect Apple Devices for India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.